Further Documentation Supporting the Former Existence of Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) in Northern Quebec-Labrador

The discovery in 1976 of a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) skull in an 18th-century Labrador Inuit midden effectively ended speculation about the former existence of the species in the barrenlands of northern Quebec and Labrador. We analyzed a photograph of a bear skull taken in 1910 at an Innu camp in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Authors: Loring, Stephen, Spiess, Arthur
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63322
Description
Summary:The discovery in 1976 of a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) skull in an 18th-century Labrador Inuit midden effectively ended speculation about the former existence of the species in the barrenlands of northern Quebec and Labrador. We analyzed a photograph of a bear skull taken in 1910 at an Innu camp in the Labrador interior (east of the George River), which appears to be that of a grizzly bear. Coupled with previously unpublished historical accounts by Lucien Turner (Smithsonian naturalist in northern Quebec, 1881–83) and William Duncan Strong (anthropologist in Labrador, 1928–29), Innu oral history accounts, and archaeological evidence, this photograph further substantiates the theory that a small number of grizzly bears were present in the Quebec-Labrador peninsula and survived into the 20th century. En 1976, la découverte d’un crâne de grizzli (Ursus arctos) sur un tertre inuit du Labrador remontant au XVIIIe siècle a mis fin à la formulation d’hypothèses à propos de l’existence de cette espèce sur les terres stériles du nord du Québec et du Labrador. Nous avons analysé la photo d’un crâne d’ours prise en 1910 à un camp innu dans l’intérieur du Labrador (à l’est de la rivière George), et il semblerait que ce crâne soit celui d’un grizzli. Cette photographie, alliée aux récits historiques inédits de Lucien Turner (naturaliste du Smithsonian dans le nord du Québec de 1881 à 1883) et de William Duncan Strong (anthropologue au Labrador de 1928 à 1929), aux récits historiques des Innus transmis oralement et à des documents archéologiques, vient étayer davantage la théorie selon laquelle un petit nombre de grizzlis aurait évolué dans la péninsule du Québec-Labrador et aurait survécu jusqu’au XXe siècle.